check temperatures at any time go to wjla.com. >> a woman is violently attacked and virginia and police are looking for the man responsible. she was dragged into the woods on commonwealth blvd. kris van cleave is live with the details. >> this has the entire neighborhood talking. a lot of people told us they did not think twice about walking alone at night. that has all changed today with a suspect still on the loose. >> i am shocked and very concerned. >> in the heart of a suburban neighborhood, a savage attack happen last night. a man grabbed a 24-year-old woman from behind and dragged her into the woods and began sexually assaulting her. >> i am scared because i walk in the neighborhood. we walk in the mornings.

i am a little freaked out. >> mike is the father of two high school aged girls. the attack has him worried. >> it has always been safe and people always jotted all hours of the day and night. the walk their dogs and kids and shoot baskets. >> regardless of where people live or what the character of the neighborhood is, the potential is always there. people need to be aware of this and keep their eyes open. >> police say the suspect was wearing a sweat shirt and covered his face. he is about 5 foot 7, and a white guy. not much else to go on. >> we have never heard of such a thing in this neighborhood. i do not know what to say. >> now, this 24-year-old victim

did suffer some injuries from the suspect's dive. police would describe the injuries as non-life threatening in nature. >> meanwhile, police are investigating a deadly crash in silver spring. a truck and van collided near piney branch road. at least one person died. two others were taken to the hospital with injuries. it is not clear what triggered the crash. >> a group of veterans said they are being forced out of their homes. they are being told to move out. sam ford went there to find out why. >> it is a partnership between d.c. housing and for more than 15 yearsmcdermontt house has been a model program. but the men who stay here told

us that it is closing tomorrow. they received four days' notice. >> until recently, these vets were homeless. they were sent here to get back on their feet. >> this is crazy. we went to war and everything. we protected this country and we are being treated like dogs. what they learn they have to be out of their rooms by tomorrow and be transferred to a facility in southeast washington. >> there are veterans that are being thrown into areas that are not as safe as this area. >> as for why, we cannot get a straight answer by the va medical center. a sparks per se -- a spokesperson said it will be closed for 90 days for repairs. the manager for 13 years -- >> >> as far as i know there is nothing wrong with the building that would force this kind of

the eviction, so to speak. >> is this unusual? >> highly unusual. >> a spokesperson told us in a statement -- >> you are supposed to be going where? >> martin bird. >> west virginia? >> west virginia. i am not going. >> the va has told them the locks are being changed tomorrow. we asked one of the neighbors here if they were a problem. they said, no. there were quiet and they were never the subject -- the vet signed this petition protesting what has happened. >> let us know what happens out there. the political activist accused of killing his neighbor in a

fight over a dog appeared in court today. the lead detective testified this morning. police accused colbert of the fatally stabbing him earlier this month. she said the dog in question never defecated on the lawn like he claimed the but only walk on it. colbert admitted to the crime. she says she wants him to spend his life behind bars. >> a fairfax county teacher is being in best to get it for an incident that is described as racist. suzanne kennedy is live at the school. >> the question asked here is what was said in an english classroom, was a racist or did a teacher not realize what she said would be considered highly offensive by an african-american

student. he is still in a state of shock over what his freshman teacher told him to do. >> when i read it in my normal voice, she told me to read it blacker. >> the high school student was asked to read the ballot of the landlord. he is the only african-american students in the class. the fact he was singled out and ask to read it blacker showed racial insensitivity by the teacher. >> it is unprofessional and it should not happen. she did not do it to any of the other kids. why did she have to do it to me? what he brought it to his mom's attention after a lesson this week about stereotypes. he said he was a dancing about to explain why african american students like grape soda and rap music. >> we are in 2012 with the first

african american president. in this era, how could such a statement be made, particularly by an english teacher? >> the student has identified the teacher as marilyn . school officials are pursuing an investigation of these incidents. >> jordan's mother thinks the teacher should be removed from the classroom. tomorrow morning first thing the the teacher, administration the mother, and jordan will sit down and talk about what allegedly happened and see if any repercussions are necessary. >> also tonight, president obama surprised lunch gowers and prince george's county today. he stalked -- is stopped by to grab a bite to eat.

he was on his way home from largo. there he delivered a campaign speech. he told the crowd there is no quick fix when it comes to restoring the crisis at the pump. >> taxpayers could be sent paying more. it passed budget legislation today that increases income taxes for most taxpayers. 12 republicans and eight democrats voted against the measure. it wanted to collect more from couples with an income of more than $500,000. democrats say it is needed to keep up high education funding. >> we have new developments in the kensington murder/suicide. why the suspect was set free despite a number of protective orders. philip gilberti killed his estranged hisheather cqguire

before killing himself. -- he killed his estranged wife before he killed himself. >> today we are told the court house officials that a computer failure may be partly to blame. >> barry hamilton seen here in an educational video released gilberti from prison the day before he killed his estranged wife. he was arrested at mcdonald's for violating a protection order. he threatened -- despite the threat, the judge allowed him to walk out of court on bond without putting up a dime. >> we thought we had done everything to keep them incarcerated. no matter how much we do, there are really sometimes tragic endings to these. >> the share said they knew about the long criminal record.

judge harrington may not have. the judge cannot access criminal records from the department of corrections. >> no child leaves here hungry. >> they came to the justice center several times for help. she used social services and counseling available here. >> she was in shelters several times because the situation got very violent. >> everybody feels terrible that he was freed. the fact he was able to track her down and shoot her is devastating. they do not want that to dissuade other victims from coming forward. >> if you come forward and received court intervention, you are much more likely to be safe than if you try to go through this a lot. >> the sheriff says the process about 3000 of these protective orders every year right here in the county. now victims can go out and get the orders 24 hours a day, seven

days a week. >> coming up on abc 7 is at 5:00 some new anti-smoking ads. are the powerful messages or to graphic? >> i do not want the record today closed with the lies in his statement. >> strong reaction from the family of a communion controversy. >> the georgetown hoyas will be playing in the tournament without one of its biggest fans. find out what is wrong with jack the bulldog.

>> the center for disease control is launching a new ad campaign to encourage americans not to smoke. >> at first it was my left leg. after that it was my right leg. now i am a double amputee from smoking. >> this $54 million multimedia blitz is called tips from former smokers. government health officials and

former smokers spoke about the campaign at a press conference in washington today. when it launches tomorrow, the broadcast and print ads will include a toll-free number and website smokers can content -- contact if they want help quitting. we want to know what you think about the new ads. you think they are too graphic? we posed the question on our facebook page finding out 64% polled say they are not too graphic. 36% say they are. go to the wjla.com facebook page and join the discussion. >> schools will soon have a choice whether or not to buy ground beef with the filler that critics called pink slime. schools can choose their own brand -- ground beef purchases. this common ingredient they buy

about a fifth of the ingredients served in schools. >> it is about the time for cherry blossoms. >> march madness time as well. we are experiencing temperatures in the 80's. >> how do people decide to spend the amazing day? natasha barrett went out to find out. >> our weather is not just beautiful today, it broke records today in the washington area. it might affect the cherry blossoms. >> who could resist eating lunch outside today? the park was the main attraction. >> i absolutely love it. i have been getting a lot of biking and running in. >> most restaurants had to offer insight seating during the lunch crunch because the patio's were packed. >> it is remarkable. we are going shorts shopping. you cannot be in this weather in

jeans and long sleeves. >> the washington. it's a record-breaking today. they hit 84 degrees at dulles airport today. the old record was 82 degrees in 1990. >> it is great. >> we swung by the cherry blossoms to check on the progress. there are some parts that are being, but the true blooming. will start this weekend with a peak bloom production from the 20th to the 23rd. we also found a couple getting married. >> to just want to be outside more. >> the biggest change is not how it feels outside, it is how people are feeling. no more winter blues. switching from jackets to flip- flops is putting people in a good mood. >> it definitely feels nice to be outside. you do not feel like you are stuck in your cubicle all day.

>> one thing to keep in mind if you are heading out to see the cherry blossoms, metro has traveled just about everywhere. >> looking good out there. but it will be a busy weekend in the city. >> everybody thought the cherry blossoms would come out early, but this is really early. we saw a little cool down -- we see a cool down coming this weekend. i have been here about 30 years and washington. i have a hard time remembering what i did yesterday. i do know i have never seen a march like this. >> that means you have never been more popular. >> 74 degrees in the bowie. a breeze is keeping temperatures much cooler. 77 has been the high so far there.

72 right now in winchester. they had a high of 88. they were called off by a rain shower. stafford has had no rain. it is 86 degrees. this is what we are looking at what temperatures have been able to do today. we set a new record high at reagan national and dulles airport. look at bwi-marshall's hi. they missed their record. the reason they missed it is because the winds have been blowing out of the east. it is dissipating now, but you can take a look at the potomac here that is the marker of it. that is where we have heavier downpours. i will have the showers west of the matter. the next few hours. we could have more showers pop up in the overnight. look at the eastern shore. 56 in the dover.

66 an ocean city. some of the cold ocean air will make its way across the bay to our area on sunday. it is all about when direction this time of year. that is why at reagan national airport of the winds had been more out of the south today, we would have never hit the record of 82. 77 right now in gaithersburg. 78 at reagan national airport. check out the wind direction. south east in gaithersburg, east along the bay. it is all a dance between wind direction and the effects of the temperatures. plenty of warm air through the '80s in the carolinas. shower activity diminishing at sunset. if you popping up overnight. tomorrow when the colt from a low pressure area get closer. showers and storms will be more likely. we will see temperatures in the

70's. mostly cloudy when you wake up in the morning. 58 degrees. showers should move out tomorrow night. in its place, " dreier air coming in with sunshine on saturday. -- cool and drier air coming in with sunshine on saturday. shenandoah might hit the 70's. we will warm up on monday, tuesday, and wednesday. >> it is crazy. >> record-breaking crazy. thank you. so you only have one more day to send up to win an ipad. >> the new version goes on sale tomorrow. we have already pre ordered a couple of that. you could win one, go to wjla.com/facebook. we will be announcing the winner tomorrow right about this time on abc 7 is at 5:00. >> a mother who is also a former

cia operative goes up searching for her son after he disappears while studying abroad. >> you listen to me. my son has been kidnapped. but we are aware. >> if you are also aware the longer i stand here the less likely i am of finding him. >>"missing" premieres at 8:00 followed by "greece anatomy" "private practice," and abc 7 news at 11:00. >> coming up, meet the man who found the video and got the ball rolling to catch the suspect thousands of miles away. >> hear the 911 calls from two college students as they hit from a convicted rapist holding

their roommates hostage.

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we'd ever brag about it... turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. h? how did that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine top safety picks like the passat and jetta. so we're celebrating with our "safety in numbers" event. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 jetta for $159 a month. >> the hoyas will be hitting the hard core without one of their biggest fans. >> we are talking about jack the mascot. stephen tschida asked around georgetown.

we have an update. >> some worry about their chances since one of their biggest fans is absent. >> for him not to be here, this hurts my heart. >> jack the mascot has an injured hind leg. something similar to an a see l and a human. >> i am a little upset about it. hopefully he will be back soon. >> he is good but for the team. >> a great big replica of jack adorns the campus. some are convinced he is good luck for the hoyas. >> he needs to be healthy so the team can win. they will not without him. >> his antics that games are legendary erelong players and fans. >> we will miss him dearly. and him eating the boxes. >> he is in good health for an 8-year-old english bulldog. he hurt his leg jumping off of a

couch. >> hopefully they will rally behind him and that will boost efforts in the tournament. >> we spoke with his bet. he is taking anti-inflammatories and they do appear to be diminishing his land. he will see a specialist next week and a determination will be made about whether he needs surgery. >> good luck to jack. >> coming up, we are on your side with a subaru recall. >> i am horace holmes with a story of a family bringing home the body of a loved one. >> a priest under fire for denying communion is defending his action.

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>> the priest at the center of a commune in controversy as speaking out to defend himself. >> he refused to give communion to a lesbian at her mother's funeral. reaction from the woman's family. >> the father has published a play by play defense of his actions. he said he did nothing wrong. he is simply trying to uphold basic catholic teachings.

her family call the defense arrogant repugnant, and deceitful. >> he denied he tried to intimidate staff at the church. he is on administrative leave while they investigate. those conversations were about his refusal to give communion to barbara johnson. the ensuing uproar has many in the generally conservative paris defending him. >> we cannot compromise truth of the teaching of the church. >> for the family, his words are

a slap in the face. >> this has ripped open a wound. it is filled with mischaracterization said and outright lies. >> he said she never told the priest her and her lover -- she never told the priest they were lovers. >> you cannot get to lovers and i think that is right. my mother only had one key role and this priest devastated it. >> barbara johnson was given communion moments after that incident by a eucharist the minister. father guarnizo did spend most of his ministry in russia and that is what he can come across as rough or cold. the archdiocese says only it is a personnel matter and cannot comment further.

>> thank you. checking our other top stories tonight, a veteran is -- veterans are worried about losing their homes in the district. they have been told they have to be out of their rooms by tomorrow. officials say they will be transferred to a facility in southeast washington or all the way to martinsburg, west virginia. it is unclear what it is being closed. >> police are hunting for a man who attacked a 24-year-old woman in the burke. a suspect grabbed her and dragged her into the woods at knifepoint. >> it is official, today was a record-breaking day. temperatures hit 84 degrees at 3:00 this afternoon. it beat the 1990 record. he also broke a former record at reagan national airport hitting 82 degrees. >> it is a situation that would break anybody's heart. a mother is fighting to get her

son's body out of china. she has a lot of questions and few answers. corresponds is live with the story. >> the two biggest questions are, how did david really die? what will the family have to do to get his body back to the united states? >> david woolman was fluent in four languages. >> he loved life. >> now he is dead, and his family has no idea what happened. it will cost them $18,000 to bring him home. >> if i could not come up with this money, they were going to cremate my son. >> as a senior, he was recruited by a chinese company to come and teach english to schoolchildren. seven months ago he signed a contract and boarded a plane. >> i know he loved it over there. he wanted to stay. >> earlier this month his mother received a call that her

son had died. she claims representatives from the school he worked for told her he committed suicide. police in china are investigating. >> until i get the death certificate and the police report, i do not believe anything that anybody is telling me. >> in the meantime, his body remains at a funeral home. the family's mormon faith does not allow for cremation. they just want the truth and to bring him home. >> i just want to bring him home and bury him and our family's plot. >> they are trying to work out some arrangements but they do not know when they will be able to bring the body home. >> thank you very much. a local group wants to ensure you have a safe at st. patrick's day this weekend. at&t give a donation this morning making this all

possible. if he won a ride called -- >> that is a noble public service. >> absolutely. >> let's check and see how the right is tonight. it is looking thick out there. >> heading south is a bit of a miss. southbound 395, heavy delays. you are slow and virginia, newington often on all the way to center pork projects enter port parkway. -- center court parkway. some significant delays on the interlude as you go from eisenhower to 270. from colelge park to central avenue. outloop from 270 spur to 66. slow from landover to connecticut.

>> thank you. still ahead on abc 7 is at 5:00 a convicted rapist holds six college students hostage. he did not know somebody was hiding and calling 911. >> i have always had hope and my heart. there is a reason to give up. >> raising awareness for colon cancer.

>> a new centers for disease control report reveals washington d.c. ranks the highest in the country for the number of lives lost to colon cancer. >> they're trying to raise awareness of the need to be screened to prevent the disease and save lives. >> while pregnant with her son noticed a disturbing change. >> instead of a bowel movement i would vomit. >> she requested a colonoscopy. her doctor said it was pregnancy

or months. >> he said, you are too young for a colonoscopy. he said me home with madison. >> a continued after he was born. it got so bad to could barely eat or drink. her husband roster to the emergency room where doctors at georgetown university hospital discovered tumors on her liver and pancreas. >> stage for colon cancer at the age of 30. >> although the number of deaths is down in recent years a new report ranks washington no. 1 in the country for the highest rate of colon cancer deaths. >> we do see more of it here than other parts of the country. >> doctors say this is a part because the disease is more common and african-americans. many people are not getting screen. >> it is recommended everybody get a colonoscopy at age 50. african americans should start screening at 45. those with a family history

should start at 40. five years after the diagnosis she works closely with a colon cancer foundation to increase awareness and hope. >> she is our ambassador of hope. it is important to give the patience help. >> i will prevail over the disease. >> 72% of targeted women were screened for breast cancer in 2010. only 54% of targeted americans were screened for colon cancer. >> coming up next, news of a major subaru recall. >> meet the man who helped get the ball rolling to help

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a month. >> we told you earlier this week that abc 7 facebook and stepped up and help catch a sex abuse suspect on the other side of the country. >> it turned out the individual who found the suspect happen to be visiting the washington, d.c. area. >> a story you will only see here on 7.

>> the arrest of a suspected child molester traces of the way back to danish police officer. >> on monday i got the news this case has been solved. a case that originally found enclosed areas on the network. >> on his computer, he noticed a child porn video. the images offered few clues. he was only able to determine the suspect was either in the u.s. or canada. >> this was a very difficult case to crack. we did not have any data evidence. >> he contacted immigration and officer in fairfax. >> hours and hours trying to get people to help us identify the individual. >> the case was going nowhere fast. they reached out to abc 7. our report on thursday spread on facebook and caught the eye of a

northern virginia child welfare advocates. he used his training until he identified the suspect's myspace page. >> we were able to get much greater detail as to where he lived, stockton, california. >> two days later authorities had the suspect and handcuffs timothy velez. if every piece of the puzzle had not fallen precisely into place, the alleged child molester would still be out there. >> we went from your broadcast to a resting in california a serious child molester in 48 hours. >> the anonymous local tipster says in a statement -- in the meantime, valdez has

confessed to being in the video. if convicted, he faces up to life in prison. >> a battle is brewing on capitol hill over a bill to protect women from violence. >> combating domestic violence and sexual assault as a the issue we should all be able to agree on. >> the consider a reauthorization of the 1994 violence against women act. the republicans oppose some additional provisions. those include immigration and visa provisions and protections for gay victims. democrats spoke out on the floor today. are using the legislative fight to reach out to women voters. republicans accuse them of playing politics with sensitive issues. arizona businesses may soon be able to question the mall employee's use of contraception. it would allow companies to exclude birth control from their

health coverage unless they can prove they are using for other medical reasons. that bill has already passed and arizona. >> the carmaker subaru is recalling more than 275,000 of their forester forester suv. dealers will replace the bulk free of charge. now, let's check out what is coming up tonight at abc 7 is at 6:00. >> we do that with gordon peterson with a look ahead at 6:00. >> the situation between afghanistan and the american forces there is not getting any better. that is despite a visit from leon panetta. if anything, it is a bit more tense. coming up at 6:00, the president of afghanistan once american

forces sent back to their bases. he was the former illinois gov. walk into prison. he will be there for a long time. >> we will see you in just a bit. we but like to see whether stick around for a long time. >> it has been such a great winter. >> you did not have to click your heels three times. it will stay warm. it will cool off over the weekend, but right back here 84 almost all of next week. here in arlington it is a little cloudy. we are down into the upper 70's. that is why bwi-marshall only at a high of 72. reagan national hit 82 before the breeze kicks in and set a record high of 84 degrees at washington dulles. areas east of the city noticeably cooler because of the breeze. the water temperatures only in the upper 40's in the day. it cools off quickly.

but come much warmer it is to the west and southwest. -- look how much warmer it is to the west and southwest. another heavy downpour north of germantown up toward -- they should dissipate by sunset. tomorrow a better chance of more widespread showers and thunderstorms. a beautiful day saturday. 75 and sunshine. much stronger easterly wind will tell us a bit. look at the warm up all next week. -- easterly wind will kill us a bit on sunday. -- chill us a bit on sunday. for more go to wjla.com. >> thank you, sir. >> we are talking wizard's today. >> it is being reported is about a done deal.

the wizards make a three deal trade. nick young will go home and play for the los angeles clippers. he was averaging 16 points a game. he will not play much defense out there. mcgee goes to denver. they get brian cook and a draft pick. the georgetown hoyas practice that the nation why the arena and columbus today. -- nation wide arena and columbus today. >> the have the theme song down pat. now it is just about time to start dancing. >> how do you feel? >> nervous as heck. >> how do you make sure the players are not? >> the hoyas are in the same

spot there were five years ago. they beat belmont in the opening round. >> i bought a little bit of it and got sick of watching it. >> then they advanced all the way to the 2007 final four. >> we are in -- >> georgetown! >> since then, they have lost to underdog opponents. >> we always play as well as we can. everybody's back is against the wall. >> we are going to play our game and play gritty and stay gritty. >> belmont is based in nashville with southern roots. the bruins will have a country superstar on their side tomorrow. vince gill is belmont was the no. 1 fan and rarely misses a game. >> he will fly here in the morning to see us play. he is a friend and you appreciate it when you have people that make that kind of

effort. >> belmont is a little country as we get ready for the game. >> the redskins got another free agent today. we will talk about meriweather.

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>> a frightening ordeal. six university of georgetown residence held hostage by a -- >> >> her sunup -- her voice barely a whisper. she tells the 91 dispatcher this man is holding her six roommates hostage at knifepoint. the caller was hiding in a downstairs bedroom. >> how long ago did you hear them scream? what about 10 minutes ago.

rated two minutes ago. >> minutes later another call from another roommate towering upstairs. -- cowering upstairs. she says she hears sounds like and tearing off pieces of duct tape. >> he is taping her somewhere. he will find me. they are screaming. should i go? >> seconds later police arrive and the rest him. none of the girls were physically hurt. all think -- all things to two courageous france. >> he is charged with nine felonies including kidnapping and robbery. if convicted he faces a life

sentence. >> thank you. so good to have friends at the right places at the right time. that is it for us at 5:00. >> it was a record-setting day in washington. we will talk about the record and how long it will continue. >> police investigating several hate crimes. we will have the story coming up in a live report. >> live and in hd, this is abc 7 news at 6:00. >> warm enough out there. warm enough to set a record even before spring arrives officially. >> the temperature at reagan national airport jumped up to 82 degrees, breaking the previous record of 80. our days of springlike weather are far from over. we began with chief meteorologist dog hill with more on